Harecleugh Forest

Looking north over cattle pasture to the birch wood in autumn colour.

On the road to Flass, this field contained many grazing cattle.

With forestry beyond.

With the western edge of Loch Wood on the right. To the left are the remains of West Woodhead NT6252 : West Woodhead, near Flass.

The remains of farm buildings. A zoom view from the road to Flass.

Fertile upland grass and arable fields, on the southern edge of the Lammermuirs.

On the Southern Upland Way west of Watch Water Reservoir looking southeast to Twin Law and its two massive summit cairns.

There has been a bit of traffic along here, with the grouse season starting. There is little evidence of folk walking the track which is used by the distinctly unpopular Southern Upland Way.

Moorland with a view of the Eildon Hills.

A circular stell beside a tin barn.

Looking east along the Southern Upland Way where it crosses Twin Law. The present huge cairns are of comparatively recent date, the originals having been used for target practice by tanks training here during World War Two. The legend of TwinLaw is contained in an old Border Ballad called 'The Ballad of Twin Law'. It tells how Scots and Saxon armies met here. They sent out their champions to do battle, not knowing that they were brothers who had been parted in childhood. They both died. The words of the ballad are on a plaque on the trig point: And they biggit twa cairns on the heather And they biggit them round and high And they stand on the Twinlaw Hill Where they twa brithers lie.

These two cairns each standing about ten feet high lie right on the Southern Upland Way at the summit of Twin Law. The cairns are associated with a sad story of Twin Brothers one a Saxon and one a Scot who killed each other at the Battle of Twinlaw. To read the full story and to read the famous poem written by an anonymous bard about this story see the following weblink. During the Second World War the area was used for military training and the Cairns were used as targets. They have since been rebuilt and one of them contains a visitors' book which you can sign while gazing towards the Cheviot's and the Eildon's from the stone seat which the Cairns contain.

One of the most well looked after Trig Points I have ever came across.

just along from the farm at Flass, next to a dung spreader, with recent snow. A grey day, but view to the twin cairns above, a site of local legend

Trig dwarfed by the cairns, rebuilt after being run over by tanks training during the 1939-45 war.

View north over the dyke and the glen of the Watch Water.

Long distance paths have a budget that allows proper paths to be blazed across boggy moorland. Sure missed this stroll once it was left for the normal moorland along to Wedder Lairs. View NW.